Sunday, May 13, 2012

In Egypt turmoil, thieves hunt pharaonic treasures

Illegal digs near ancient temples and in isolated desert sites have
swelled a staggering 100-fold over the past 16 months since a popular
uprising toppled Hosni Mubarak's 29-year regime and security fell apart
in many areas as police simply stopped doing their jobs. The pillaging
comes on top of a wave of break-ins last year at archaeological
storehouses - and even at Cairo's famed Egyptian Museum, the country's
biggest repository of pharaonic artifacts.

Horrified archaeologists and antiquities authorities are scrambling to
prevent smuggling, keeping a watch on European and American auction
houses in case stolen artifacts show up there.

"Criminals became so bold they are digging in landmark areas." including
near the Great Pyramids in Giza, other nearby pyramids and the grand
temples of the southern city of Luxor, said Maj.-Gen. Abdel-Rahim
Hassan, commander of the Tourism and Antiquities Police Department.

"It is no longer a crime motivated by poverty, it's naked greed and it involves educated people," he said.

In a country with more than 5,000 years of civilization buried under its
sands, illegal digs have long been a problem. With only slight
exaggeration, Egyptians like to joke you can dig anywhere and turn up
something ancient, even if its just pottery shards or a statuette.

But in the security void, the treasure hunting has mushroomed, with
5,697 cases of illegal digs since the start of the anti-Mubarak uprising
in early 2011 - 100 times more than the previous year, according to
figures obtained by The Associated Press from the Interior Ministry,
which is in charge of police.

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